Author's Note: This takes place during WW2 so there is a lot of Nazism, so if it is offensive to you in anyway, I apologize and suggest you don't read it. It's rated M for future chapters. For those wondering why my other story is not updated and that I am working on this one, I am still in a writers block on it and this is to rehabilitate my writing skills since I've been too busy to keep it up. Thanks for your patience and reading this!

Ludwig sat in his office massaging his temples and tapped his fingers rapidly on his desk. He never thought he would be given this as an order. His boss's voice from their meeting just a few minutes ago echoed in his head.

'Ludwig, I want you to go learn Russian. I'm going to send you over in a couple weeks, so learn quickly.'

Ludwig let out a heavy sigh and stared at the stack of books on his desk. A rather thick and plain German to Russian dictionary stared at him. It gave him a sudden chill down his spine.

It was abnormally hot that day and Ludwig wasn't used to it. He removed his hat and fanned himself off as he loosened his uniform's coat. He decided on a walk to observe the drills being performed outside would calm him down and get some fresh air. Not caring for etiquette he walked down the busy hall, fanning himself with his hat and tugging at his collar. He stopped when he got a dirty look from another SS officer.

"Fix your uniform or I'll have to report you." The officer snapped.

Ludwig placed his hat back on and straightened out his uniform.

"Besser?"

"Ja. Don't forget your representing the Fatherland, so don't slack." The officer saluted Ludwig. "Heil Hitler."

". . .Heil Hitler."

Ludwig shook his head, he hated having to respond to the salute, and headed to the entrance where security had been called. Some wacko was causing a scene and angering all the officers in the area. He was just going to slip by and not get involved, at least he was supposed to if he didn't hear a familiar voice.

"WEST! Hey! Let me go! West!"

Ludwig hid his face with his hat and tried get by unnoticed as the one the guy was addressing to. But it didn't work since he was grabbed from behind and found himself being hugged. He let out an irritated groan that seemed to say 'fuck,not again.'

"This is my beloved baby brother! I came all the way from Prussia to congratulate him!"

"Gilbert...get...off..." Ludwig hissed as the other officers just stared at them.

"No! It's been too long, give your big brother a kiss!"

Gilbert tried to plant a kiss on Ludwig's cheek. Ludwig evaded him by placing a hand on his brother's face and pushing him off. He then turned his attention to the security and promptly apologized for his brother's behaviour and convinced them to leave Gilbert alone. The two brothers then walked out of the building and strolled by a passing patrol.

"Why did you come to Berlin?" Ludwig asked, looking over his shoulder at the patrol.

"Do I need a reason? I wanted to see you."

"You never want to see me. You always want something."

"Yeah, I'm just that awesome."

Ludwig laughed, he never understood why his brother felt so self-centered. Gilbert stepped ahead of him and held out a small black box.

"You know how much I love you, right?" Gilbert spoke as romantically possible in German.

"Proposing to your own brother? Now I know you lost it." Ludwig rolled his eyes.

"I wish West! No, it's not a ring. I meant to give it to you...uh...centuries ago. Back when I lived here in Berlin with you."

"That long ago, huh?"

"Yeah, you were so cute wanting to be a Teutonic knight. But this uniform looks better on you. Kinda sexy." Gilbert teased as he tugged at the swastika arm band. "Suits you."

Ludwig rolled his eyes and scoffed as he slapped his brother's hand away. He took the box and opened it. Inside, on a silver chain was an iron cross pendent. "Wow I guess you can be sentimental."

"It matches mine," Gilbert boasted as he pulled out an identical pendent on an identical chain from beneath his suit. "Now everyone can know we arerelated."

Ludwig fought the urge to punch his brother in the face. His brother's sick jokes of embarrassing him in public were tolerable at least, and he can handle his incestuous suggestions, but boasting about it drove him to his edge. He's surprised he hasn't snapped and beaten the shit out of him yet. But getting a gift, or anything really, was something rare and something to enjoy. Gilbert was infamous for spending money on himself and only himself. Being nice, and because he personally wanted to have a pendent like his brother's since he was little, he gave the box back and put on the pendent.

"Glad you like it. Now I have a favour to ask."

"I knew it. Gilbo, I don't have any money to give you." He was going to go on but Gilbert's smirking face bothered him. "What?"

"You said 'Gilbo'. You haven't called me that in years! Say it again, West!" Gilbert grabbed Ludwig's left arm and held it tightly as he obsessively rubbed his face on his sleeve.

"What the?! Du Scheißekopf! Get off!" Ludwig yelled in his trademark deep voice as he tried to pry his brother off. "Not when I'm in uniform!"

"So I can later?"

"Nein!"

"Ciao!" A voice floated over the sound of another patrol marching by. The two Germans turned around to see an over energetic Italian skipping in their direction. "Ti amo, Ludwig!"

Ludwig's face flushed the moment he heard what Feliciano said. "D-don't yell that so loud!" Ludwig snapped making Feliciano stop in his tracks. "Germans are different from Italians, you don't just go yelling...uh...'that' in public. Good thing most Germans don't know Italian, but still!"

"Yeah West, what 'did' he say?" Gilbert asked staring at Ludwig curiously. He never learned Italian like his brother, then again, in all of Germany, Ludwig's only friend is an Italian he had met on the battlefield.

"Nothing, he said nothing. Anyway, why are you here? I thought you were given an assignment in Italy."

"Mussolini is visiting, I'm his escort! You know that!"

"Mein Führer did say something about that..." Ludwig's voice trailed off. "Either way, it's not often we get to escort our bosses to other countries. How did you--?"

"I told him I wanted to see the one I love!"

"Feli!"

"Sì?"

"Shut up...Please."

"West! I thought you liked me!" Gilbert said trying to look heartbroken and trying not to laugh.

"No, I hate you. What are you drinking anyway?"

"Your beer! I'm crashing at your place." Gilbert spoke matter of factly and began to walk in the direction of Ludwig's house.

"Me too!" The Italian cheered and walked beside Gilbert, talking to him about the pasta he and his brother made the other day. Ludwig just hoped to God that Feliciano's brother doesn't show up as well.

Ludwig headed back to his office. Normally he'd go save his beer from his moocher brother but he had to learn Russian in a couple weeks. With the two most annoying people staying at his place, he'd learn nothing. He sat heavily into his chair at his desk and opened up the language books and began cramming as much Russian as possible. It must have been hours that he sat there reading aloud small Russian phrases and learning their sentence structures and particles. The bustling sound of SS officers in the hall outside his office had died down into silence and the only sound besides his repeating of Russian into a tape recorder was the sound of the night patrol's feet as they heavily marched by. He looked at the clock on his desk. It was late, REALLY late. He put the books and tape recorder away in his desk and headed home.

When he got home he expected Gilbert to be passed out drunk and the place littered with empty beer bottles. Feliciano would be fast asleep in his bed, and knowing him, he would be naked as well, which always made him wonder if Italians had any decency at all. Which would mean that not only did he have to change his sheets in the morning, he'd have to sleep on the couch if Gilbert wasn't on it. To his surprise, instead of clinking of bottles or loud snoring coming from his house, there was cheerful laughter. He found the door unlocked and walked in, removing his coat and hat.

"...and so Antonio was so scared that brother was going to hit him again he stayed in my room!"

"No way! Isn't he older than your brother?"

"Yeah, but my brother grew up in south Italy so he's really violent. Anyways, we ended up sneaking Antonio out of the country because he didn't have a passport. Brother won't admit it but he misses driving him insane by feeding him pasta with too much garlic on purpose."

They both erupted into laughter again. Ludwig hung up his coat and hat and began to loosen up his uniform again. A familiar smell wafted out of the kitchen and dinning room. He followed it, to find Gilbert and Italy laughing, large plate of pasta in between them and several empty bottles of beer.

"Oh Ludwig! You never made the pasta I brought over last time so I decided to make it! You didn't have a lot of good spices to go with it so it's not the best." Feliciano said as he waved at the returning German.

"Oh...I don't really..." Ludwig was cut off by Gilbert after he took a bite of some of the pasta.

"Mm, this is good! He's a keeper! If I'm competing with him for you, I'd have to bump it up!" Gilbert joked.

"Don't talk with your mouth fu-"

"I mean, Feliciano, you'd make a great wife...if you were a chick that is."

"Oh thanks! But uh...I don't like guys, I like women." Feliciano spoke feeling oddly flattered.

"Seriously? Cus you look and act sooo gay. You had me fooled! Me, the great and almighty Gilbert of Prussia, was fooled by some silly Italian peasant like you!"

They cracked up laughing again and Ludwig just shook his head and took the plate of pasta Feliciano handed him.

"Well...to be honest," Feliciano started. "My first love was another boy."

"I...didn't need to hear that." Ludwig muttered hiding his face from the two of them as he picked up a fork to eat the pasta.

"Seriously? You kidding?" Gilbert said as he finished his beer.

"No. Though, I'm pretty sure he thought I was a girl."

"Why was that?"

"I was...uh...how do I say this." Feliciano took a bit of the pasta and thought as he chewed. "I was kind of like a maid when I was a kid. I had to work for this really stingy guy in Austria and the only clothes he had my size were girl's."

"No way! Was his name Roderich Edelstein?!" Gilbert nearly shouted.

"Yeah, why?"

Gilbert slammed his fists on the table making his empty bottles topple over. "I fucking hate that guy! Think he's all that because he's a damn aristocrat! With his stupid expensive portraits of royalty and-"

"He lost his money." Ludwig interrupted.

"Really?" Gilbert turned to him. "You serious?" Ludwig nodded. "Yes! Serves him right! Please tell me that his marriage with that Hungarian whore is falling apart." Ludwig let out a sigh and nodded. "YES! She doesn't want to be in the poor house does she?"

"It's not that...I don't know the details but it had to do with something that happened when they went on a trip to France. Something about him cheating on her with another man or something. I couldn't read her handwriting, and she speaks very poor German."

"Another guy?"

"I asked him about it and he denied it. Said he would never do such things."

"I believe him." Feliciano added in between mouthfuls of pasta. "I lived with him until I hit puberty. Then he let me go live in Italy again with my brother. He always treated her like royalty. I did more work than she did. Besides, he never liked the company of other guys. I was the only guy there besides him."

"Oh yeah, she used to work for him too..." Gilbert looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey, West. Why were you gone so long? I was actually hoping we could drink together like good old times, but you were gone all day. The hell kind of work does Adolf have you do?"

"I have to learn Russian."

There was a long silence, the only noise was Ludwig continuing to eat.

"Dude..." Gilbert said. "Russian? Why Russian?"

"Hell if I know. I just follow orders."

"Russian's are scary." Feliciano whined. "Don't go to Russia! Even if it's orders, don't go! Stay with me in Italy!"

"No." Ludwig answered flatly. "I'm going to follow my orders and besides. I don't want to be harassed by your brother."

"You get harassed?" Gilbert laughed.

"Not really, it's just annoying to be called 'macho potato' all the time."

"That's lame. But why do you think he's making you learn that Communist language? Their our enemies right? Why learn their language?"

Ludwig shrugged.

"Well...enough about Russia. I don't want to have nightmares again. Let's just finish this pasta! And if I can find any stores that sell some around here, I'll go make more tomorrow. Oh but you need tomatoes too, but the good ones me and my brother like are from Spain so..."

"Feliciano...we're not going to have pasta."

"But it's so good! OH! I never had you try this awesome vermicelli I make! It's really good!"

"Know what else is good?" Ludwig snapped. "You shutting up and being useful."

Feliciano looked hurt and nodded and was actually quiet the rest of the night. Several beers later after diner, they all headed off to bed. Feliciano slept in the guest room after he cleaned it up and Gilbert slept on the sofa. Of course, following the same usual routine from when Ludwig stayed in Italy, Feliciano snuck into his bed complaining of bad dreams and being scared of being alone. In the end, he got little sleep from being woken up every half hour by Feliciano muttering his strange 've' noise and then trying to cuddle with him. He tried swapping beds but Feliciano would just go in that bed to within half an hour complaining of the same thing. He began wondering if he makes it all up just for the sake of being annoying. He really needed to learn how to lock people out of his house, he hated having people over. Especially Feliciano and Gilbert.

Author's Note: I would like to point out that I do not speak any Italian besides a couple phrases, along with German so if there are any errors, please let me know! Here are some translations to the words. I tried to incorporate as much as I could but some words looked exactly like English words and it would have been confusing to add them in. So I left them out.

Besser: Better (German)

Ja: Yes (German)

Du Scheißekopf: You Shithead (German)

Nein: No (German)

Ciao: Hello (Italian)

Ti amo: I love you (Italian)

Mein Führer: My leader (German)